Method of and means for packaging electric blasting caps



Dec. 20, 1938. D D. YETT 2,140,746

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING ELECTRIC BLASTING CAPS Filed April 18,1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 3nventor Darz Z'eZDJ/uget /Gttorneg Dec. 20, 1938.D. D. HUYETT METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING ELECTRIC BLASTING CAPSFiled April 18, 1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Imzz'eZ J/ugeii m Gttorneg D. D.HUYETT Dec. 20, 1938.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING ELECTRIC BLASTING CA PS Filed April l8, 1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Zmnentor Dan/ c2 lll/fugei'f,

D. D. HUYETT 2,140,746 METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING ELECTRICBLASTING CAPS Dec. 20, 1938.

Filed April 18, 1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Zinnentor D. D. HUYETT Dec.20,1938.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING ELECTRIC BLASTING CAPS Filed April 18,1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Dec. 20, less rm'rnon orANn S FORPACKAGING ELECTRIC BLASTING CAPS Daniel D. Huyett, Wilmington, Del.,assignor to Atlas Powder Company, Wilmington,, DeL, a corporation ofDelaware Application April 18,

19 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus forpackaging folded wires. While the invention is of general application inthat many of its features may be employed in the 6 packaging of foldedwires in general, a very important field of usefulness for the sameresides in its use in packaging electric blasting cap assemblies. Theseassemblies comprise a loaded detonator 'or blasting cap with theattached leg wires 10 by which the detonator, when the time of usearrives, is, usually with a number of other detonators, attached to thefiring cable of an electric blasting machine.

It is very well known that blasting caps are 5 extremely sensitive; thatthey are easily exploded and that many persons have been killed and manyothers severely and painfully wounded by the accidental explosion ofcaps of this nature. Until comparatively recently these blasting cap inassemblies were, when shipped to the trade, packaged in bulk. That is tosay, a number of these assemblies were packed together in a singlepackage, with the result that when the package was once opened the capswere likely to be scattered 35 around more or less carelessly by-thepersons using them. Further, electric blasting caps are extremelysensitive with respect to their capability of being fired by electriccurrents of comparatively low strength, and many accidents have been 30caused by accidental setting off of these blasting caps by their legwires coming in contact with a stray source of current and before theywere attached to the firing cable.

. To guard against the dangers indicated, the

35 trade now demands the individual packaging of these blasting capswith their attached leg wires, and further, the industries, such asmining, quarrying, and the like, desire that in the packaging of theindividual detonators the attached leg l wires be so folded andmaintained that when the time of use arrives the leg wires may be drawnout into straight line formation without any tendency for suchwires tokink or tangle. One typ .Of package adapted to accomplish the foregoingobl jects in a very simple and economical way is disclosed in UnitedStates Patent No. 1,983,141, issued to David M. McFarland, on December4, 1934. The McFarland package comprises a cylindrical paper tube intowhich the detonatorand its i0 attached leg wires are slipped, the legwires being folded back and forth in figure 8 formation, and thedetonator being nested in the group of loops of wire in such fashion asto be at least partially covered thereby and be protected by thepresence 3 of said wires during shipment, storage, and up to 1936,Serial No. 75,170.

the time of use. It is desirable that the blasting 'cap assembly beinserted in its containing tube under at least a fair degree ofcompression because this not only reduces the packing volume, butinsures that there will be such frictional engage- 5 ment between theassembly and the tube that the wires and detonator will not accidentallyslip out of the tube but must be designedly removed therefrom. Further,such arrangement holds the wire folds in such position as to insureagainst kinking when the leg wires are drawn out to straight lineformation. While not being restricted in its use to that purpose, thepresent invention is admirably adapted to pack detonators in accordancewith the McFarland disclosure in a. rapid,'economical and eflicientmanner and under such-conditions as will insure the maximum of safety tothe operatives employed about the packaging machine. K

The detailed description may be followed with greater facility if it isfirst understood in a general way how the present machine operates.

A plurality of the blasting cap assemblies are placed by hand in thetubular compartments of a detonator bundle'receiving and handling framehereinafter called the carrier. This work is done before the carrier isplaced in the machine of the present invention. This insures that theinitial compression placed upon the detonator, up to the time it leaveshuman hands, will be relatively gentle and involve no danger to anyhuman being. The filled carriers are brought to the machine along oneflight of an endless conveyor while the empty carriers are returned forrefilling along the other flight of the same conveyor. The filledcarriers as they reach the machine are slipped into a suitably formedseat and an operator releases mechanism, operable under the influence ofa relatively limited amount of power; such, for example, as the meregravity action of a weight, which serves to locate the carrier firmly inplace, to move a protecting barricade over the carrier to protect theoperator in case of an accidental explosion, and finally to trip asingle-revolution clutch to set in action positive, power-driven meansfor forcing the detonator assemblies out of the carrier and into thepaper tubes in which they are to be packaged, the said assemblies beingmore forcibly constricted under the action of this power drivenmechanism, during the operation of the single revolution clutch. As saidclutchi completes its revolution, the gravity actuated parts arerestored to their original position, preparatory to repeating theoperation,

' While I have stated that the assemblies are 66 initially placed in thecarriers by hand, I wish to make it clear that this initial filling ofthe carriers may be by machine without detracting from the efficiency ofthis machine in the charging of the assemblies into the packaging tubesand from the carriers.

Other details and advantages of the apparatus will be set forth in thedescription which follows.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through said machine, on line 33of Fig.

Fig. 4 is a rear end elevation of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view upon line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view partly in section and partly in front elevation of oneof the carriers, showing the same associated with the elements employedat the filling station where the folded wires and detonators areinitially placed in said carriers by hand;

Fig. '7 is a transverse vertical sectional view upon line 'i'i of Fig.6:

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the detonators and its associatedleg wires before the leg wires are folded about the detonator and thrustinto one of the compartments of the carrier;

Fig. 9 is a detail plan view of the carrier guideways of the machine,illustrating means for preventing the setting in operation of themachine until a carrier is in place;

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view on line Ill-i0 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary plan view of the guide bar of Fig. 7;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of the die and form of tamp which may beemployed;

Fig. 12A is an end view of the tamp of Fig. 12;

Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view through a pair of the vibratorplates on line l3i3 of Fig. 14;

Fig, 14 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the magazineand feed plates as illustrated at the left-hand end of Fig. 3;

Fig. 15 is a detailed perspective view oi a portion of the assembledfeed table;

Fig. 16 is a detailed front view of a portion 0 a filler plate,hereinafter described;

Fig. 16A is a vertical sectional view of the filler plate; v

Fig. 17 is a vertical sectional view through an assembly wherein thetube is shorter than the folded wires, showing the associated feedtable, and

Fig. 18 is a partially horizontal sectional view of the tube of Fig;1'7.

As previously stated, the first operation takes place at a stationremoved from the machine of Figs. 1 to 5. At this station. which may betermed the filling station, brackets 5 (Fig. 7), carrying one guide bar6, are arranged to receive and support the carriers to be filled. One01' these carriers is clearly illustrated in Fig.6, and by reference tothat figure it will be seen that each carrier comprises a,pair of plates1 and 8 which are tied together by a row of tubes 9 which pass throughsaid plates and' have their ends spun out .to hold them in place in saidplates. 'Ijhese tubes constitute the receiving compartments for thedetonator assemblies comprising the detonator D and leg wires W, seeFig. 8. In a machine which I have employed, there are twenty-seven tubesto each arcane carrier, twenty-five of which serve as detonator assemblyreceiving compartments while the pair of tubes at the ends are utilizedfor the reception of dowel pins, hereinafter described, by which thecarriers are locked against accidental movement and properly alignedwith other machine parts when the detonator assemblies are being forcedout of these compartments and into their packaging tubes. These two endtubes are surrounded by tubular rubber bumpers l I to prevent damage toother parts or any metal contact between the carriers while they arebeing handled or are traveling end to end on their transportingconveyors. In Fig. 7 I have illustrated one of the detonator assembliespartially thrust into the carrier and it will be seen that the guide barb has a plurality of tapering guide recesses l i (see Figs. 6, 7 and 11)which serve initially to constrict the wire loops about the detonator assaid detonator and loops are thrust downwardly through the guide bar. Itwill be understood that there is one of these guide recesses ii for eachof the tubes 9 which constitute detonator assembly receivingcompartments. I preferably elongate the recesses ll toward their outerend portions so that these recesses do not present circular conicalrecesses at all points, but upon the contrary are of oval formation attheir outer ends but taper to true circles H, see Fig. 11, immediatelyabove the bottom face of guide bar 6. However, true frusto-conicalrecesses may be employed, if desired. After a group of the detonatorassemblies has been charged into a carrier, said carrier is placed uponone flight of a conveyor leading to the machine of Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Inpractice, one flight of the conveyor conducts the filled carriers to themachine while the other and return flight of the conveyor conducts theemptied carriers from the machine back to the filling station. Theconveyor has not been shown since it constitutes no part of the presentinvention. It suffices to say that when a carrier reaches the machine itis removed by hand from the conveyor and placed upon a table, indicatedat T in Fig. 2. This table is provided with a guide rail R. by. whichthe filled carrier, indicated as awhole by S, may be guided into placeupon its seat in the machine, said machine comprising spaced bars 12 andI3 having depressed ways M. The carriers slide upon these ways and liebetween the bars l2 and I3.

The power for operating the machine is derived from any suitable primemover, such as an electric motor Hi. This motor. drives through a beltor equivalent device 16 to a pulley l1 upon transverse shaft i8. Thisshaft in turn drives through the bevel gearing l9 to a longitudinallyextending shaft 20. Shaft l8 also drives through spur pinion 2i and gear22 to the main transverse drive shaft 23. Cams 24, mounted upon theouter end portions of shaft 23, carry integral crank portions 2I5.'Longitudinally extending connecting rods 26 are engaged with these crankportions and with the bearing pins 21 of a reciprocatory crosshead 28.The gear 22 is not keyed upon the shaft 23,

action insures against shock or jar so objectionable about explosives.

Single revolution clutches have acquired a distinct status in the artand any suitable type may be employed. It is sufliclent to say thatclutches of this type functionto connect 7s a' driving to a driven partin such manner that after the driven part has made one revolution underthe influence of the driving part, the two parts are automaticallydisengaged.

The operating rod 29 of the clutch passes through a bracket 30 whichdepends from the fixed bed 3|, said bed being in turn secured to themain frame 32 of the machine. A spring 33 bears between the bracket 30and a washer and nut 34 upon'rod 29. A second nut 35 on the rod limitsits movement toward the right. The operating rod 29 also passes freelythrough a depending bracket 35, said bracket being carried by thetransverse bar 39 of a carriage which comprises a pair of longitudinallyextending racks 38. The teeth of this rack engage gear wheels 39 fixedto shaft 60. This shaft causes the gear wheels to move in unison andmaintains the racks 38 in properly aligned relation. The carriage ofwhich the racks 38 constitute a part, also comprises, at the forwardends of said racks, a metallic plate 4| which extends across the top ofthe machine and constitutes a barricade. This barricade overlies thecarrier during the forcing of the detonator assemblies therefrom andconsequently protects the operator of the machine from accidental injuryif any of said detonators, through undue sensitivity or for any otherreason, should be exploded during such forcing operation. Therefore, theterm blastproof" is intended to distinguish the barricade 4| from a mereguard or grid such as is used in many types of automatic machines toprevent the operator from placing his hands in position to be injured bythemechanism. The blast-proof barricade of this invention is one whichprevents the blowing out of explosive gases from the work being handled,beyond the confines of the machine. one of the gears 39, see Fig. 5, isa smaller gear 42, the teeth of which mesh with rack teeth 43 of a rackbar 44, said rack bar being secured to and moving with cross head 28. Ahand lever 45 is pivoted at 46 to one of the gears 39 and is thrustinwardly by the action of a spring 41, said spring acting between a stopnut and washer 48 upon the outer end of an extension of shaft 40 and awasher 49, the latter in turn bearing against lever 453 A lock pin 50,pivotally connected to lever 45, passes through an opening of the gear39 and enters an opening of gear 42. This is the position of the partswhen the machine is at rest. After a carrier has been slipped laterallyinto the machine and properly positioned upon the ways l4, the machineis set in operation by the operator who grasps the hand lever 45 andwithdraws the pin 50 from opening 5|. Thereupon gears 39 start to rotateclockwise in Fig. 3, such rotation being under the influence of the rackbars 38 and said rack bars and their associated parts, in turn, beingactuated by a weight 52 and cable 53, the latter being connected to thebracket 35 of the carriage, of which the rack bars 38 constitute a part.However,

this movement of rack bars 38 and gears 39 is not partaken of by gear42, which remains stationary. This gear remains stationary because itismeshed with rack bar 44, andthis rack bar is in effect a part of thecrosshead 28 which, at

this time, is stationary. The initial movement of the parts described.under the influence of Loosely mounted upon the hub 39 of mechanism. Assoon as the gears 39 begin to move, as described, the pin 50 is carriedout of alignment with the hole 5|, so that even though the operatorreleases the handle, movement of said gears will continue to the properdegree. In addition to projecting the dowel pins through the carrier,forward movement of the rack bars 38 carriesthe barricade 4| forwardlyand to protecting position over the carrier S. Forward movement of therack bars 38 continues until the bracket 36 strikes the stop 34 andtrips the single-revolution clutch. Thereupon, the cams 24 act throughrollers 55 upon slidable side bars 56 to actuate a feed table .51,hereinafter described, to thrust a row of, preferably pasteboard,containing tubes t forwardly, so that their inner ends are seated in themouths 59 of constricting dies 60, there being a row of the latterformed in the bar l3. The movement of the feed table 51 inwardly isagainst the tension of springs 6| which serve to hold the rollers 55into engagement with the cams, said springs being adjustably connectedto the side bars by adjusting screw 62 and to a slide-bearing bracket at53. When the crosshead 28 moves forward under the influence of theconnecting rods 26, tamps 'or plungers 64 enter the rear ends of thetubular compartments of the carrier and forcibly thrust the detonatorassemblies out of said tubes through the constricting dies 60 and intothe tubular containers t.

By referring to Fig. 12,,it will be seen that the dies taper from thecarrier toward the tubes t, i so that as the detonator assemblies arethrust in the looping of thesewires they are designedly folded so thatthey may be quickly drawn out to straight line formation withouttangling. During the forward movement of rack bar 44 with the crosshead,gear 42 is caused to travel clockwise in Fig. 3 until its hole 5| againaligns with pin 59, at which time pin is caused to snap into saidopening under the influence of spring 41. In other words, gear 42travels around and. picks up gear 39 under the action of the pin 50 sothat .when the crosshead begins its return movement, rack bar 44 willmove gear 42 counterclockwise and this will, in turn, carry the gears 39back to their original position preparatory to repeating theoperation.This return movement also returns rack 38, barricade 4| and dowels 64 tostarting position. Movement of the crosshead to the right, andconsequently movement of the gears 39, ceases when the single-revolutionclutch throws out at the end ofits cycle of operation.

The magazine or hopper in which the con- I tainer tubes t are locatedcomprises the rear and front walls 65 and'55. This magazine isprefervably closed by a hinged cover 61. A gate 68, constituting part ofthe front wall of the "hopper, is mounted upon hinges indicated at 89and is kept closed by the action of a weight I0. Bylifting this weight,thegate may be opened for purposes of inspection, loosening. jammedtubes, etc. For

and suitable belting or sprocket connections, indiautomatically rankingthe tubes in a plurality of vertical rows, I provide a series ofvibrating separating plates ii. These separator plates are hingedlymounted at their lower ends upon pivot rods '82, and at their upper endsthey are connected, as indicated at 173, withlongltudinallyreciprocatory bars i l. These bars are pivotally connected at "it to avertical rock lever 76 the latter being pivoted. intermediate its endsat 'i'i to a bracket it. The lower end of the rock lever 76 is movedback and forth by a connecting rod 119. Connecting rod iii is moved backand forth endwise by its engagement with an eccentric or crank 88 uponthe rear end of shaft 2d. As the plates ii are vibrated back and forth,they work the tubes 11 downwardly in a plurality of vertical rows, andthe lowermost tubes of the rows or ranks come to rest upon the feedtable.

This feed table comprises 'a lower plate iii, the forward portion ofwhich is provided with a series of upwardly projecting spaced strips 82which form pockets between them for the tubes and which serve to spacethe tubes properly and to align them with the mouths 59 of the dies w. Asecond plate 83 is engaged by bolts 84 which pass through slots 85 ofplate iii. The forward edge of the plate 83 is provided with a series offingers 86 which enter between the upstanding projections 82 andconstitute stops for the rear ends of thetubes t to hold the tubesagainst the thrust of the temps as the detonator assemblies are forcedinto said tubes. The adjustment provided by the bolts M and the slots t5makes it possible to adjust the plate 83 to adapt the pockets betweenthe projections 82 to receive paper tubes of varying lengths. The plate83 is supported by the plate ti, and the plate 3i in turn is carried byand moves with the side none of the tubes are torn or bent out ofcircular formation. This is the position of the parts in Fig. 14. Thenwhen the machine is again set in operation, the tubes are moved forwardto engage the mouths 59 of the dies 60 in the manner hereinbeforedescribed. v

At the completion of the forward movement of the feed table, a swinginggate 86*, which is pivoted at 87 to the front wall of the magazine,

drops to vertical position, and its lower edge engages behind the endsof the row of tubes. When the feed table moves rearwardly, in thecontinued operation of the cams 24 and springs 6|, this gate acts tothrust the filled tubes from the table, and they fall upon the upperflight B8 of a transversely disposed conveyor, by which the filled tubesare conducted transversely of the machine and to any desired point. Theconveyor is driven from shaft 20 through the medium of pinion 89 (Fig.4) which meshes with gear 90 cated at 9l.

The filler plate illustrated in Fig. 16 is, as its name indicates, amere filling medium for reducing the effective width of the magazinewhen desired. The'lower edge of this plate 92 is slotted to fit over:the vibratory plates so that the legs'93 of the filler plate, which liebetween the slots 94, project downwardly between the filler plates andarcane reduce the effective width of the magazine at, the point occupiedby the vibratory plates, the upper portion of the filler strip in likemanner restricting the effective width of the magazine. The purpose ofthus restricting the width of the magazine is to make it possible toadapt the machine of the present invention to handle tubes t of varyinglengths.

Some users of the individually packaged detonators herein describeddesire the assemblies to be so packaged that while the detonatorsthemselves lie within the tubes t, the wires are permitted to extendbeyond the ends of the tubes.

In the structure of the McFarland patent, the tube was weakened at itscenter to permit it to be readily broken, so that the opposite halves ofthe tube could be easily pulled lengthwise from the detonator. However,it has been found that many miners, instead of breaking the tube, pushthe detonator assemblies endwise therefrom and throw the unbroken tubeson the ground. Where the wire loops are co-extensive in length with thetube and consequently the wires do not pro- J'ect beyond the tube, thereis no way for a person to tell, at a glance, whether a tube lying on theground is an empty and harmless tube or one accidentally dropped andcontaining a live detonator, dangerous to tread upon. The machine of thepresent invention is easily adaptable to the handling of shorter tubesand to the packaging of the detonator assemblies in these shorter tubes,with the wires projecting from the ends of said tubes.

Such' an arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 17 and 18; Here the-finger86 of the feed table engagesthe rear end of a tube t, materially shorterthan the wires of the detonator assembly, but preferably at least aslong as the detonator indicated at d. When this arrangement is used. themovement of the parts is such that the tubes are moved into engagementwith the mouths 59 of the dies $0, in the manner previously described,and the tamps force the assemblies into the tubes as they start forward.

However, when the assemblies have been forced into the tubes to aboutthe position illustrated in Fig. 1'7, the table is quickly retractedfrom be? neath the assemblies and tubes, leaving these assemblies heldby those portions of, the wires which are still in the dies. continue tomove forward, these portions are thrust out bf the dies, and the filledtubes fall upon the conveyor 88. in the manner previously described. Itwill be apparent that the change necessary to effect the foregoingresult is a very simple one, consisting merely of a change in the shapeof the cams 24. The finger 86 is recessed as indicated at 86 for thereception of the projecting ends of the wire loops, and this finger isprovided with a funnel mouth 86 and a. shoulder 86 the funnel mouthguiding thetube to its seating against the shoulder.

In actual practice, certain of the parts of the machine are made ofbrass and others are made of aluminum. No attempt'has been made toindic'ate' the particular materials employed, because it is manifestthat this is merely a matter of choice upon the part of the engineer. Itis common practice in explosives-packaging machines to utilizenon-sparking materials in those places where a blow or friction mightresult in the creation of a spark such as would cause an explosion. Itwill therefore be understood that I contemplate employing non-sparkingmaterials wherever good judgment dictates.

' tentional starting of the machine.

' like roller 91.

Referring now to Fig. 12, it will be seen that the tamps, which haveheretofore been referred to in a general way by the reference character66, comprise aplurality of resilientfingers 64 the free ends of whichclose in behind the head 64 of a bolt-like ram 64, as the respectivetamps move into the constricted portions of the dies- 60. Since thereare twenty-five of the tamps and twenty-five of the tubes of the carrierwhich receive detonator assemblies, it follows that each forward strokeof the crosshead results in packaging twenty-five' of the detonators intheir containing tubes t, and that this object is accomplished with nodanger whatever to the operator.

It is desired to stress the fact that there would be considerable dangerin manually placing the wires and detonators in a funnel and forcingthem through a restricted opening by a plunger into a containingtube.Such action would involve the possibility of friction between thematchheads and the sulphur of the detonators should one of thematchheads be a'little loose, and might result in a fatal explosion.Undermy' proposed method, the hand packing of the detonator and its legwires into the carrier, as proposed in Fig. '7, is a safeand easy task,because this much of the operation can be carried out with the partsunder so little constrictive pressure as to involve no danger, while thesubsequent operation of forcing the detonator assemblies from thecarrier into their packaging tubes takes place under such conditionsthat the operator is protected even if an explosion should occur. Theterm carrier as used in the appended claims is to be construed to meanan element within which the assemblies are temporarily placed and notthe final packages in which they are delivered for use.

The shanks 64 of the tamps carry collars 64 and I54 which lierespectively in front of and behind the transverse member 28 of thecross- .head, so that the tamps are caused to partake of the movement ofthe crosshead. However, the collars 64 are preferably secured uponthe-shanks 66 by means of shear pins, so that if by reason of anybinding or stoppage of a' detonator assembly in its tube undue pressureshould be created, the shear pin will shear off and permit additionalforward movement of the crosshead without carrying that particular tampwith it.

It is desirable to provide means'to prevent the machine from being setin operation until a carrier has been so positioned therein that nodisastrbus results would follow premature or unin- Such an arr'angementis illustrated in Fig. 9, where it will be seen that I dispose upon theways [6, along which the carrier slides to itsposition of rest, a spool-When the carrier is not in position, the roller 91 rolls down theinclined trackway 98 to a position where it' lies in the path of one ofthe dowels 54.

Therefore, even though the operator might at this time move theoperating handle to withdraw pin from opening 5|, the weight 52 couldnot move the racks 38 and the dowels 54 forwardly, because the dowels ofFig. 9 would merely come to a position of rest against roller 91. Thisin turn would prevent bracket 36 from moving far enough to trip thesingle-revolution clutch.

However, the act of sliding the carrier into place pushes the rolleraside and permits the end tubes of the carrier to be brought intoalignment with the dowels. After-this, the machine may be operated aspreviously described.

While the elements shown and described are adapted to serve the purposessought in a facile, economical and efficient way, it is to be'understood that 'the invention is not limited to the precise arrangementshown, because it is apparent that the,principles involved may, byskilled mechanics, be embodied in many different forms. Consequently, itis to be understood that the invention includes within its purviewwhatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit ofthe appended claims. Having described my invention, what I claim 1. Amachine of the character described, comprising in combination asupporting frame which includes a fixed, horizontal frame member, acrosshead slidably mounted with respect to said frame member, aplurality of tamps carried by said crosshead, a row of dies tapered tocom-' press blasting cap assemblies thrusii through them, a carrier seatformed between said dies and the tamps upon the frame, a bodilyremovable carrier comprisinga group of tubes shaped and dimensioned toreceive detonator assemblies which align with said dies when the carrieris tubes, a magazine shaped and dimensioned to receive open endedcontainer tubes and having an open bottom,- a feed table upon which thelowermost tubes are received, -means for moving the table to and fromthe dies, means upon the table for engaging the rear ends of the tubesto support them against the rear thrust of the tamps, and means engagingsaid tubes and holding them against rearward movement with the tablewhereby the tubes are discharged from the table upon rearward movementof thelatter.

2; A structure as recited in claim 1, in combination with a blast-proofbarricade, a reciprocatory part by which the barricade is carried,forward movement of said part moving the barricade to-protectiveposition with respect to the carrier, power means for actuating thecrossplaced upon its seat and uniting means for said head and tamps, andmeans movable with the crosshead for restoring the barricade-carryingpart to its original position upon movement of the crosshead away fromthe carrier.

3. A machine of the character described, comprising a row of diesextending transversely of the machine, a carrier seat rearwardly of saiddies, a removable carrier comprising a plurality of compartments shapedand dimensioned to receive detonator assemblies which align with saiddies when the carrier is properly positioned upon its seat, a feed tablemovable toward and from the dies and adapted to bring a row of containertubes into engagement with the mouths of said dies, a source of power, amain drive shaft, a single-revolution clutch constituting a connectionbetween the source of power and the main drive shaft, means actuatedfrom the main drive shaft for imparting movement to the feed table,

a reciprocatory crosshead,- a group of tamps car' tective position overthe carrier, said barricade being shaped and dimensioned toprotect theoperator from the effects of detonator explosions in the machine, meanscarried by said carriage for tripping the single-revolution clutch, andmeans independent of the source of power for moving said carriage whenthe same is released.

4. A structure as recited in claim 3, wherein said independent means foractuating the carriage comprises a weight.

5. A machine of the character described comprising a fixed horizontalframe member, a carrier seat thereon, a row of dies extending across theforward side of the carrier seat and a row of tamp guides extendingacross the rear side of the carrier seat, a carrier comprising a row oftubular members, a crosshead mounted to reciprocate towardand from thecarrier, a group of tamps carried by the crosshead and operable by the"crosshead through the tubes of the carrier and through said dies, meansfor advancing container connecting transverse part, a source of power, amain drive shaft, a single-revolution clutch constltuting a connectionbetween the source of power and the main drive shaft, connectionsbetween the main drive shaft and the crosshead, a trip member for thesingle revolution clutch, and means carried by the barricade carryingcarriage for engaging said member to trip the'clutch toward thecompletion of the movement of the barricade to protective position,means independent of the source of power tending to move the carriagetoward the carrier, gear wheels engaged with the racks of said carriage,a second gear wheel mounted in proximity to one of the first named gearwheels, a rack with which the last named gear wheel meshes, said rackbeing movable with the crosshead, and manually operable interlockingmeans between the last named gear wheel and the gear wheel with which itis associated, release of said interlocking means by the operatorpermitting the carriage to move independently of the power means to movethe barricade to protective position and to trip the clutch, saidinterlocking means being so constructed that when the gear wheel whichmeshes with the rack of the crosshead is turned by the forward travel ofthe crosshead, said interlocking means will again engage, so that uponthe return travel of the crosshead, the carriage and barricade will berestored to their initial position.

6. A structure as recited in claim 5, in combination with dowels,carried by the said carriage, which traverse the said carrier to alignthe same upon the forward movement of the barricadecarrying carriage. 7.In a machine of the character described, the combination with abarricade and dowel carrying carriage, of gravity means tending to movesaid carriage in one direction, a power-driven crosshead and tampscarried thereby, juxtaposed rotative members, one of which is movableunder the influence of the movement of the crosshead and the other ofwhich is movable under the influence of said carriage, and amanually-operable latch for connecting said rotative members.

8. A machine of the character described, comprising a source of power, amain drive shaft, a countershaft driven by the source of power,connections between the countershaft and the main drive shaft includinga single-revolution clutch, a longitudinally-extending shaft and gearingby which the latter shaft is driven from the counu tershaft, a conveyordriven from the longitudinally extending shaft and extendingtransversely of the machine, a plurality of fixed dies adapted todiametrically constrict detonator assemblies thrust through them, amagazine, a feed table movable back and forth beneath the magazine andover said conveyor, said feed table comprising means for engaging therear ends of tubes delivered from the bottom of the magazine to thrustsaid tubes toward said dies, means for restraining saidtubes uponreverse movement of the feed table to cause the tubes to be thrust fromthe feed table and deposited upon said conveyor, and members operableunder the influence of the main drive shaft to thrust blasting capassemblies through said dies and into said tubes.

9. A structure as recited in claim 8 wherein the means for thrusting theblasting cap assemblies through said dies includes a plurality of tamps,a crosshead by which the tamps are carried, connections between thecrosshead and the -main drive shaft, a weight-operated carriage, and ablast-proof barricade carried by said carriage.

10. A structure as recited in claim 3 wherein the means for thrustingthe blasting cap assemblies through said dies includes a plurality oftamps, a crosshead by which the tamps are carried, connections betweenthe crosshead and the main drive shaft, a weight operated carriage, ablast-proof barricade carried by said carriage, dowels carried by theweight operated carriage, and a carrier adapted to be traversed by saiddowels and comprising a plurality of assemblyreceiving compartmentsaligned by said dowels with the said dies.

11. A machine of the character described comprising a carrier, a movablecarriage, a blastproof barricade carried by said carriage, a clutchcontrolled by the movement of said carriage, dowels f or traversing thecarrier, said dowels being carried by said carriage, a control elementfor the machine,'set in operation by movement of said carriage, andmembers movable out of the path of the dowels by the act of placing thecarrier in the machine, which members, by preventing forward movement ofthe dowels, prevent the setting of the machine into operation until acarrier has been properly seated in the machine,

-folded wires and a blasting cap nested therein, a

temp operative through said carrier to thrust the blasting cap assemblyendwise therefrom, a constricting die associated with said carrier,means for feeding a packaging tube to that side of the die opposite thecarrier, the die exerting constricting action upon the blasting capassembly as said assembly is thrust through the die and into said tube,a blast-proof barricade, a positioning means for the carrier, a controlmember, power means for actuating the tamp, and means of restrictedpower independent of the power means, operable upon movement ofthe-control member, for moving' the barricade to protective position andfor actuating the carrier positioning member.

13. A machine of the character described, comprising a row of diesextending transverselyv of the machine, a carrier seat rearwardly ofsaid dies, a removable carrier comprising a plurality of compartmentsshaped and dimensioned to receive detonator assemblies which align withsaid dies head through the compartments of the carrier to force blastingcap assemblies therefrom and through the said dies and into thecontainer tubes, at reciprocatory carriage, a blast-proof barricadecarried by said carriage and movable in the forward movement of saidcarriage to protective position over the carrier, said barricade beingshaped and dimensioned to protect the operator from the effects ofdetonator explosions in the machine, means carried by said carriage fortripping the single revolution clutch, means independent of the sourceof power for moving said carriage when the same is released,interlocking means between the crosshead and the carriage, manuallyoperable means for controlling said interlocking means, initialoperation of said manually operable means releasing the carriage topermit it to move independently of the source of power to carry itsbarricade to protective position, movement of said carriage acting afterthe barricade has been so positioned .in protective position to set thecrosshead in operation under the influence of the power means.

14. A machine of the character described comprising a row ofdiesextending transversely of the machine, a carrier seat rearwardly ofsaid dies, a removable, carrier comprising a plurality of compartments,shaped and dimensioned to receive detonator assemblies, which align withsaid dies when the carrier is properly positioned upon its seat, a feedtable movable toward and from the dies and adapted to bring a row ofcontainer tubes into engagement with the mouths of said dies, a

source of power, a main drive shaft, a single revo--v lution clutchconstituting a connection between the source of power and the main driveshaft, means actuated from the main drive shaft for imparting movementto the feed table, a reciprocatory-crosshead, a group of tamps carriedthereby adapted to be projected by said crosshead through thecompartments of the carrier to force blasting cap assemblies therefromand through the said dies and into the container tubes. a reciprocatorycarriage, a blast-proof barricade carried by said carriage and movablein the forward movement of said carriage to protective position over thecarrier, said barricade being shapedpand dimensioned to protect theoperator from the effects of detonator explosions in the machine, meanscarried by said carriage for tripping the single revolution clutch,means independent of the source of power for moving said carriage whenthe same is released, interlockingimeans between the cross head and thecarriage, manually operable means for controlling said interlockof thepower means, and carrier positioning and locking means carried by saidcarriage and movable to carrier engaging position as said carriage movesthe barricade to protective position.

15. A machine of the character described comprising a magazine, a feedtable reciprocable beneath said magazine, pockets upon said tableadapted to receive tubes to be filled from said magazine, said pocketsaligning with the magazine when the table is in retracted position, afilling means forsaid tubes associated with the magazine, said tablemoving the tubes toward filling position upon its forward movement, andmeans for imparting forward movement to said table in a two-stepmovement with an intermediate period of dwell, whereby said tubes are.initially projected beyond the magaz ne'and stopped for inspection andare then caused to resume forward movement toward filling position.

16. -A machine of the character described comprising a frame having aseat and a bodily removable carrier, said carrier being shaped to fitupon said seat and including a row of open-ended compartments which,when the carrier is in place,

extend across said machine, said compartments being so dimensioned thateach is adapted to receive a detonator assembly consisting of a group oflongitudinally folded leg wire loops and a detonator nested therein,said machine frame carrying a row of constricting dies aligned with thecompartments of the carrier when the carrier is in position in themachine, said carrier being bodily removable from said machine for thecharging of the detonator assemblies thereinto at another point, tubefeed ng means for moving a group of open-ended packaging tubes endwiseagainst the discharge sides of said dies, a group of tampsmovable-through the compartments of the carrier forthrusting thedetonator assemblies therefrom, power means for actuating said tamps inunison, a plate-like barricade movable horizontally along the machineframe and shaped when in projected position to overlie all of the dies,tamps and tubes, means for moving said barricade to its projectedposition over the carrier prior to the actuation of said tamps, andmeans movable in synchronismv with the barricade and coming intooperation only after said barricade has reached projecting position andnear the termination of its projected movement, for setting the powermeans of the tamps in operation.

1'7. A machine for packaging blasting cap assemblies comprising acarrier bodily removable from the machine to adapt it to be filled at aseparate station and consisting of a group of openended tubes, each ofwhich is shapedand dimensioned to receive a detonator assemblycomprising a bundle of longitudinally folded wire loops and a blastingcap associated therewith, a row of constricting dies and a seat for thecarrier so located that when the carrier is seated thereon, the tubes ofthe carrier are aligned with the said dies, a. group of tamps operablethrough the tubes of the carrier to force thedetonator as semblies fromsaid tubes and through said dies, a support for a row of packagingtubes, within which the'assemblies are. to be packed, and means forbringing about relative movement between said support and'the dies, tothereby bring the packaging tubes into such juxtaposition to the diesthat the blasting cap assemblies may be thrust by the tamps through thedies into said packaging tubes and be constricted by said dies in theaction of passing therethrough, power means for actuating said tamps, animperforate barricade shaped and dimensioned to cover the constrictingdies and tamps to protect the operator from the efiects of an explodingdetonator, a carrier positioning means movable with the barricade, andmeans for moving the barricade to protective position and thereby movingthe carrier positioning means to engage and position said carrier, themovement of the carrier positioning means and the barricade beingindependent of the power means of the tamps on movement to protectiveposition.

18. A machine for packaging blasting cap assemblies, comprising acarrier bodily removable from the machine to adapt it to be filled at aseparate station and consisting of a group of openended tubes shaped anddimensioned to receive detonator assemblies, a row'of constricting dieswith which the tubes of the carrier are aligned when the carrier isseated in the machine, a group of tamps operable through the tubes ofthe carrier to force detonator assemblies from said tubes and throughsaiddies, a support for a row of containing tubes within which theassemblies are to be packed, and means for bringing about relativemovement between said tubes and the dies to bring said tubes into suchjuxtaposition to the dies that the assemblies may be thrust by the tampsthrough the diesinto said tubes and-constricted by said dies in the actof passing therethrough, said tubes of the carrier being shaped anddimensioned to receive blasting cap assemblies comprising a bundle oflongitudinally folded wire and a blasting cap nested therein, thesupport for the containing tubes comprising a lower plate having aplurality of upstanding projections across its front portion, and anupper plate adjustably mounted upon the lower plate, in such Q,ll4l@,746

position that its forward edge constitutes stop portions against whichthe rear ends of said tubes abut.

19. A machine for packaging blasting cap assemblies', comprising acarrier bodily removable from the machine to adapt it to be filled at aseparate station and consisting of a group of open-ended tubes shapedand dimensioned to receive detonator assemblies, a, row of constrictingdies withwhich the tubes of the carrier are aligned when the carrier isseated in the machine, a group of tamps operable through the tubes ofthe carrier to force detonator assemblies from said tubes and throughsaid dies, a support for a row of containing tubes within which theassemblies are to be packed, and means for bringing about relativemovement between said tubes and the dies to bring said tubes into suchjuxtaposie tionto the dies that the assemblies may be thrust by thetamps through the dies into said tubes and constricted by said dies inthe act of passing therethrough, said tubes of the carrier being shapedand dimensioned to receive blasting cap assemblies comprising a bundleof longitudinally folded wire and a blasting cap nested therein, thesupporting means for the containing tubes comprising a lower platehaving a row of upstanding projections across its forward portion,between which said tubes are seated, and an upper plate adjustablymounted upon the lower plate and having a row of fingers, the forwardends of which'fingers project between said projections and constituteabutments against which the rear

